Rural Route Magazine: Wisconsin Farm Bureau History, Coverage and Staff
Profile updated November 2026
Rural Route magazine is the member publication of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, published six times a year from Madison. It replaced Ag Venture in 1995 and has grown from a newsletter into a newspaper and then a glossy magazine. It is the latest in a line of Farm Bureau member papers in Wisconsin that goes back to the 1920s.
| First published | 1995, replacing Ag Venture |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation (WFBF) |
| Federation founded | May 27, 1920, at Waukesha |
| Frequency | Six times a year, in combined two-month issues |
| Circulation | 26,000; the June/July issue goes to all members, with readership over 55,000 |
| Headquarters | 1241 John Q. Hammons Dr., Madison, Wisconsin |
| Official website | WFBF.com |
History of Rural Route
County leaders met in Waukesha on May 27, 1920, to form a state organization and affiliate with the American Farm Bureau Federation; Wisconsin was the 32nd state Farm Bureau to join. George W. Hull of Whitewater, who did much of the organizing, became the first president in January 1921, and the first annual meeting in Madison that February reported 15 active counties and about 2,000 member families. Membership topped 46,000 by 2018, and the federation celebrated its centennial in 2019.
In the 1920s some counties received the Wisconsin Farm Bureau News. In 1930 the federation launched its own paper, edited by E.E. Schroeder; a board contest named it the Badger Farm Bureau News, and Clara Thoreson of Chilton won a $10 gold piece for the name. It ran until 1985, when the bimonthly magazine Ag Venture replaced it.
Rural Route replaced Ag Venture in 1995. Along the way the federation added radio programs, the Farmline radio news network, the Frontline newsletter, the weekly Ag Newswire email and a mobile-friendly website.
Rural Route Today
Rural Route now publishes six combined issues a year, from December/January through October/November. Issues back to 2011 are posted on Issuu, including the December/January 2025-26 edition.
Recent features have included Rising from the Ashes in October/November 2025 and a profile of a Door County veteran. Because every member receives the June/July issue, that edition reaches beyond farm families to the federation's non-farm members.
What Rural Route Is Publishing Now
Members and farms
Profiles of Wisconsin farm families, veterans and rural businesses, with dairy, crops and specialty farms all represented.
Policy and organization
News from the federation's 61 county Farm Bureaus and nine districts, state and federal policy, and the grassroots resolutions process.
Programs and youth
Young farmer and youth leadership programs, agricultural education, member benefits and annual meeting coverage.
Rural Route Editors and Staff
Rural Route's rate card and bylines name:
- Amy Eckelberg - Advertising Sales
- Cassie Sonnentag - Writer and editorial contact
Advertising inquiries go to the federation at 608.828.5706.
Who Reads Rural Route
Readers are Wisconsin Farm Bureau members; voting members are those directly involved in agriculture, while associate members include rural and non-farm households. Wisconsin is America's Dairyland, and dairy's prominence shapes much of Rural Route's coverage; USDA's Economic Research Service tracks the national dairy sector, which brought in $41.8 billion in 2021.
The federation's members also raise corn, soybeans, potatoes, cranberries, ginseng and beef, and they fit the national picture from the 2022 Census of Agriculture, in which 95 percent of U.S. farms were family farms.
Rural Route readers milk cows before dawn, argue about Packers draft picks and know a fish fry is a Friday obligation. For a lighter look at that life, farm.FM serves farm satire and farm humor in a cheerful Upper Midwest voice, plus ranch humor for the beef herds up north. Its farm jokes travel well from the milking parlor to the supper club.
farm.FM calls itself the nation's first satirical farm site, and between the headlines it spins Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers; a good place to start reading is this farm.FM columnist's archive.
Rural Route Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Wisconsin Farm Bureau: Centennial, our legacy - the 1920 founding.
- Wisconsin Farm Bureau: Communication changes through the years - the history of its member papers.
- Issuu: Rural Route, December/January 2025-26 - a recent issue.
- USDA ERS: Dairy - dairy sector data and outlook.
- USDA NASS: Census of Agriculture - Wisconsin farm statistics.
Rural Route FAQ
When did Rural Route start?
In 1995, when it replaced Ag Venture as the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation's member publication.
How often is Rural Route published?
Six times a year in combined two-month issues.
What came before Rural Route?
The Badger Farm Bureau News from 1930 to 1985, then Ag Venture from 1985 to 1995.
When was the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation founded?
At a meeting in Waukesha on May 27, 1920.
From a 1930 paper named in a contest to today's glossy bimonthly, Rural Route magazine carries a century of Wisconsin Farm Bureau storytelling.